One of several factors used by search engines to determine the ranking of a website is the number of backlinks to that site. As a site owner you need to build backlinks to gain improved PageRank and increased traffic for your site. Backlinks are inbound links to a website, and high numbers of these links from relevant and authoritative sources is one indication of the importance and popularity of a site. Various factors determine the quality of a backlink, including the Google PageRank of the linking website, and the relevance of the connected pages. Backlinks from highly ranked websites tell search engines that your website contains valuable and reliable information. If both your website and the linking site focus on the same topic, search engines typically regard the link as more important than a link from an unrelated website. Quality backlinks will substantially increase the PageRank of your site, and improve its ranking in the major search engines.
In addition to improved search engine positioning, having a high number of quality backlinks provides the additional benefit to your website of increased traffic. When backlinks are used correctly, a dramatic increase in targetted traffic should be apparent.
Websites often employ various search engine optimization techniques to increase the number of backlinks pointing to their website. Although there are many methods of acquiring backlinks, the easiest way is to submit your site to directories. Many directories do not require reciprocal links, and submission is generally simple and free. Additional methods of increasing the number of backlinks to your website include content submission to article directories, purchasing text links, and networking on social sites and forums.
Writing and submitting quality articles to article directories such as Ezine Articles, Web Pro News, Site Reference, and Article Dashboard will enable you to create backlinks to your website while reaching a larger audience simultaneously. Articles should be related to the topic of your website, and you should include a link to your site at the bottom of the article. If another publisher chooses to use one of your articles on his or her website, you will gain an additional backlink from that site, as well.
Purchasing text links is one of the easiest ways to obtain backlinks to your website or blog. Purchased links are one-way links, which is a type of link considered more credible by Google and other search engines than reciprocal links. However, Google does not approve of links purchased for the purpose of driving traffic or inflating PageRank, and will penalize your website if this practice is discovered.
Social networking and bookmarking sites are well liked by the search engines, and creating backlinks to your website on social sites, such as MySpace, FaceBook, and DIGG, can substantially increase your credibility in the eyes of the search engines. Additionally, placing a link to your website in forum profiles and signatures is very fast and simple way to create relevant backlinks that will also result in increased traffic. It is important to spend time participating in the forum, as many forums will ban you if they believe your intent is purely promotional. Interaction and participation are essential to your success when using both social networking and booking websites and forums.
Backlinks are only one factor used by search engines to determine your website’s importance. While building quality backlinks is important to optimum search engine ranking, it should not be the sole focus of your marketing and promotion. Backlinks are important to search engines because they represent approval from established sites, active communities, and experts in your field. They prove to the search engines that your website is worthy of a high ranking, and they tell the public that your website provides useful and accurate information.
Tags: , backlinks, pagerank, site traffic
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June 4th, 2008 at 2:00 am
yes really the search engines mainly see the backlinks in order to rank the website. Thanks for giving us the instructions regarding methods used by the search engines.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
In terms of relevance, you’re basically saying that if I have a pokemon page and I have a link to a digimon page, then it wont affect the ranking at any reasonable level? Good thing they penalize you for paying for backlinks, that’s not what Google is about.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Once again, very good information. One other way to gain backlinks is to make relevant comments on blogs. There are usually lots of blogs related to the topic of your website. Most bloggers love to have relevant comments on their blogs. It shows that people are actually reading their blog.
June 6th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
To increase back links to my site, I’m just submitting my articles to those social sites like those you have mentioned. Other things that have increased my back links are blog commenting and forum signature posting. I would like to add that you need a do follow forum or blog for your site to gain some back links. I’m thinking of purchasing Comment Kahuna right now to help me search for relevant do follow blog.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I’m kind of new to the whole pagerank thing. DeAnna seems to make a good point; in fact, isn’t there a backlink option on most blog comments sections?
Thanks for all the info on backlinks and tips on taking advantage of them.
June 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
What an amazing article. So many key points that people fail to understand. I have used many of these techniques over the years and they have been a great asset to the value of my website. I think that using back links all the time is a great way to increase traffic because you have the link to your site.
June 10th, 2008 at 1:33 am
Another creative way to get backlinks is to write on some sensational topic that attracts mass attention. Although I am not too fond of controversies and sensationalism myself, many gurus suggest that a breaking news story in an established industry can get you more backlinks in a week than 30 posts would get you in the course of three months. Many popular authors seem to ignore the heavy doses of criticism their articles receive because the criticism brings them the backlinks from a whole bunch of internet readers that inflates their search engine rankings and website traffic.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Another thing that I’m thinking is that you have to start a contest on your blog. This contest will attract visitors to write about this contest and thus displaying your URL, instant back link to your site. This would be a wise move on your part if you have already gain readers to your site. Most of the ones that I’m seeing who does this are already established.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
It’s not just those they ignore but all kinds of posts from criticisms to out of topic ones to posts criticizing other posters. It wouldn’t be a shock to me if these authors are intentionaly inciting these kinds of posts. They get their blogs read and viewed. Traffic is increased.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Backlinks are the one of the easiest way to gain traffic to a certain level. They drive the traffic to our site from others. But most of them will be very sure that the link will not go to other sites from one’s own site. Because it will be a loss. Thats why in most of the forums, people do not allow signature link to link to the sites.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Having some contest on your blog is a sure way to get some back links to your site. John Chow likes to have a contest to help him getting some back links to his site. Right now, he got a contest going of which you will win a bag full of Market Leverage goodies. I’m not thinking of joining right now since I don’t have any page rank because I know that he will be looking for those who gives him more traffics.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:46 am
I’ve been doing most of the things suggested in the article to help increase the number of backlinks to my site. What I didn’t know about was submitting article with the link of your site on it. This is the first time am hearing about it and I think am going to start doing that. I also have not thought about placing my links on facebook and myspace. Nice article
June 15th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I tend to just surf around like-minded sites and contact them to make affiliates and I think that yes, it really is an effective way of improving the importance and traffic of your site. The article highlights the main reason: improved search rank, but also direct traffic from the backlinks can be huge if you have enough or have links on the right sites.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Another is the do follow blogs. There are probably tons of blogs like that out there and you can easily increase the search engine value of your site. Another is by getting involved in questions and answers portion made by famous bloggers. A free link for everyone
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Ok I’ve also heard that too many backlinks is worse than not enough? Any thoughts or comments on that? I have several backlinks that are very relevant but I’m just getting started. I think I only have a PR of 3 right now, which I think is good for just being a support site for my son
June 24th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Until now I’ve been a little confused about backlinks and I guess what you could call the inner workings of them. Thanks for the valuable information. Now I can start applying the knowledge with confidence. I think I like the idea of a contest too. I might have to try that one.